Chapter 4

Valkyn and Arion reached the wall just as the caravan entered the fort. He rode Arion up a tall hill that overlooked the compound, at the top he hid Arion in the trees and cautiously made his way to the peak. There he observed the layout and activities of its inhabitants for several hours, integrating the information into his memory. Once he had calculated the positions of the Roman barracks, knights' quarters, and civilian habitations; along with the guard schedule and the habits of those inside he made his way back to Arion.

He led the stallion back down the hill and through the forest until they were very close to the wall. Then he found a secluded alcove to make a cold camp and for Arion to wait in. When darkness fell, Valkyn was ready to complete his mission.

"Wait here, my friend. I shall call for you when I have finished. We shall no doubt be pursued by the surviving knights, so be prepared." The Sarmatian told the stallion. Arion nickered his understanding, but nudged his master with his great muzzle, his black eyes full of worry.

"Do not fret, Wind Spirit mine. I shall return to you soon." Valkyn reassured him softly. Then he picked up his special bow, made to launch a lightweight hook with a lightweight line and headed for the wall. The assassin's black leather armor and dark gray clothing made him almost imperceptible in the dark night. The careless Roman guards could not have spotted his wraith-like movements even if there had been a moon. Once he reached the wall he waited for the first guard to pass by on his patrol before shooting the hook over the wall. Then he pulled back on the line until the hook set, when he was sure it would not come loose he scaled the wall as quickly as a squirrel up a tree. In a matter of seconds he had reached the top of the wall and coiled the rope and attached it to his belt.

Knowing the next guard was due any minute he swiftly descended the rampart stairs and hid in the shadows cast by the knights' stables. Once the Roman was safely past Valkyn slipped around to the front of the stables. He was about to set off across the compound when he spotted a man coming his way. With no where else to go, Valkyn slipped through the barn door and into one the stalls.

Valkyn found himself face to face with a huge gray stallion. The stallion snorted and prepared to strike the intruder when Valkyn spoke quietly to him.

"Whoa, brother, do not be afraid. I need only to borrow your stall for a moment." The stallion flicked his ears at the words, suddenly unsure. He did not recognize the scent of the man in front of him but the voice was familiar. The horse paused to take in a deep whiff of Valkyn's smell, which only furthered his confusion. He could tell it was not the same but both the scent and the voice were similar to that of his master. "That's it, boy." Valkyn whispered, stroking the thick neck and scratching the gray ears in an effort to keep the horse quiet. The assassin then hid behind the massive gray body as the man he had seen entered the stable.

Valkyn could not believe his luck when realized the man was Arthur. He had thought he would have to search for the Commander but fortune had brought the man right to him. Valkyn held his breath as Arthur walked across the stable and picked up his saddle. Half way to the hitching rail Arthur paused and suddenly threw the saddle back on the rack in anger. Then he lean heavily on the rail in front of him and began speaking, it took Valkyn a moment to realize that he was talking to someone else.

"Oh Merciful God, I have such need of your mercy now. Not for myself but for my knights, for now is truly their hour of need." Valkyn was about to step out and announce his presence when another knight quietly entered the barn. Arthur, with his back to the door, did not notice and continued his prayer.

"Deliver them from the trial ahead…" Valkyn lost track of the monologue as he tried to keep the gray quiet and stay out of sight as the other knight walked right past the stall. The second knight was tall and striking with curly black hair and a close cropped beard. Valkyn noticed he had a sword at his side while Arthur, on the other hand, was unarmed.

"Why do you always talk to God and not to me?" the knight asked suddenly, causing Arthur to whirl in surprise. "Pray. Pray to whomever you wish that we don't cross the Saxons," the curly haired knight continued with great scorn.

"My faith is what protects me, Lancelot. Why do you challenge this?" Arthur asked softly.

"I don't like anything that puts a man on his knees," replied Lancelot, proudly as he leaned on the rail to Arthur's right.

'Well said my friend.' Valkyn thought.

"No man fears to kneel before the god he trusts. Without faith, without belief in something, what are we?" Arthur asked.

'Me.' Valkyn answered to himself.

"To get past the Woads in the North is insanity!" Lancelot cried angrily.

"Them we've fought before –"

"Not north of the wall!" shouted Lance vehemently, striding around in front of Arthur. "How many Saxons? Hmm?" he asked arching his eyebrow. "How many!"

Valkyn held his breath as the gray stallion nickered at the knights but they were too preoccupied to notice. He again lost track of the conversation while he clamed the horse. When his attention returned to the knights Arthur seemed to be winning the argument.

"How many times have we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat? Outnumbered, outflanked, yet still we triumph?" Arthur asked intently, leaning on the rail as he tried to persuade his argumentative knight. "With you at my side we can do so again. Lancelot, we are knights. What other purpose do we serve if not for such a cause?"

Lancelot shook his head sadly before replying.

"Arthur you fight for a world that will never exist. Never! There will always be a battlefield." He said as he stood and walked to the rail. "I will die in battle, of that I'm certain, and hopefully a battle of my own choosing. But if it be this one, grant me one favor. Don't bury me in our sad little cemetery, burn me. Burn me and cast my ashes to a strong east wind." Then he walked out leaving Arthur alone.

Arthur let out a loud sigh as he leaned on the rail in front of him, his head bowed.

"You don't want to take them on this mission, do you Arthur?" Valkyn said softly.

Arthur half turned to see a man emerge from Passebruel's stall. Since he was in shadow, Arthur could not see his face. The voice was accented, familiar, but not quite right. Though since he was in Passebreul's stall he assumed it was Tristan and his overtaxed mind skipped over the reference to "them". He turned back to the rail and let out another sigh before replying.

"It is not my wish that my knights should be sent on a suicide mission in order to gain their well earned freedom. I know that Bishop Germanus has no right to ask this of them but I cannot see any other way for them to leave this island. Nor can I in good conscience leave that family to die on Saxon blades. I could not face God knowing that I had done so."

"It is my experience that gods do not concern themselves with the fate of mortals. A man must depend on himself and himself alone for survival and success. This is a world of men, not gods. And in it all the good and all the evil springs from men. I take comfort from a good blade at my side and a good horse beneath me. I shall need nor ask for more." Arthur turned at that but Valkyn continued before he could speak. "I heard what you told Lancelot, I do not need a lecture on gods and faith. Believe in what you will, Arthur."

"It is not my purpose to lecture." Arthur said. "I will leave you and Passebreul to prepare for the morrow.

"Passebreul," Valkyn repeated faintly. The name struck open a floodgate of repressed memories that engulfed him.

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Valkyn stood in a grassy field, around him trotted a huge gray stallion and on his back rode a five year old boy. The boy's black hair waved in the breeze and his dark eyes shone with pride as he rode his brother's horse.

"Keep your heels down!" Valkyn told his little brother, smiling to himself. His brother was a natural rider but sometimes his mind wandered from what he was doing. It was up to Valkyn to keep him on task.

"Can I canter, Valkyn? Please?" the little boy asked eagerly.

"If you keep your heels down and don't let Passabruel take of like last time," Valkyn replied sternly.

----

The memory faded almost as swiftly as it had come. When Valkyn came to his senses he realized that Arthur had left. Cursing himself, Valkyn, left the barn and exited the fort as stealthily as he had entered. He would have to pursue the knights on the morrow; he was in no condition to finish the job tonight.